5 biggest draft busts in Mets history

The New York Mets have nailed some draft picks. Dwight Gooden. Darryl Strawberry. They’ve also stolen some gems. Jacob deGrom. Jeff McNeil. There are plenty of success stories.

Like any other team, the Mets have had their share of misses as well.

In the first round of the MLB Draft, these five stand out at the biggest busts the Mets have ever selected.

5) Biggest NY Mets first-round draft bust: Terry Blocker

The fourth-overall pick from the 1981 MLB Draft went to the Mets. Their pick was a center fielder named Terry Blocker. He’d play only 18 games for the Mets. While this didn’t define his entire major league career, Blocker was nothing spectacular beyond his days in New York.

Blocker ended up traded to the Atlanta Braves after the 1987 season for one of the many players who’ve worn a big league uniform named Kevin Brown. Blocker would spend parts of two years with the Braves and was done in the majors by the end of the 1989 campaign.

His MLB career would end up including only 110 games, 258 plate appearances, and an awful .205/.242/.266 slash line. Only 1 of his 50 hits came as a member of the Mets. During his brief time with the club in 1985, Blocker was just 1 for 15.

For some context, there were some pretty good draft picks surrounding Blocker. Mike Moore, Joe Carter, and Dick Schofield were all taken before him. Also within the top ten were future Mets Kevin McReynolds and Ron Darling.

Instead, the Mets ended up with a forgotten amateur bust.